Christina Applegate Breaks Down in Tears Revealing She Was Misdiagnosed with MS: ‘I’m Back at Square One’

NEED TO KNOW

• Christina Applegate learned from her doctor that she does not have multiple sclerosis despite experiencing debilitating symptoms since 2021

• The actress said if anything her condition has gotten worse and doctors will investigate what has caused her health issues

• Applegate returned to MeSsy podcast after taking time away to process the diagnosis change and other health concerns

Christina Applegate returned to hosting her MeSsy podcast with shocking news.

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Applegate and co-host Jamie Lynn Sigler released back-to-back episodes of their podcast, where the actresses have raw discussions about their respective journeys with multiple sclerosis.

However, during her return episode Applegate, 54, emotionally shared that she's taken time away from the podcast to process a new revelation from her doctor — she does not, in fact, have MS.

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"She came into my room and said, 'Congratulations, you don't have MS,' " Applegate recalled through tears. "I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy."

Dr. Marwa Kaisey, associate professor with the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center department of neurology, who joined Applegate and Sigler for the second episode of the podcast, says MS misdiagnoses are "fairly common" due to the fact that "we don't have one single test for MS. It's not like we have something like a pregnancy test that says, 'Yes. You have it.' 'No. You don't.' It's a list of criteria."

Kaisey says nearly 20 percent of those diagnosed with MS turn out not to have the disease. "Almost one in five of these people who'd been told they had MS, some for decades, didn't actually have it. And a majority of them were on medication to treat their MS."

Applegate noted that despite learning that she'd been misdiagnosed, it didn't impact any of her debilitating symptoms.

"You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I'm better," Applegate continued. "I haven't gotten better, Jamie! If anything, I've gotten worse. So I'm back at square one where I don't know what's going on with me. And that's going to be an online investigation that my doctors are going to be getting into just to find out what has been going on since 2021, why did this happen?"

In the Part II of the podcast, Applegate once again got emotional, saying, "I've gone through a great depression because of it. But I lost everything. I lost my job. I lost — I'm sorry. What do you say to someone who's been living with this for six years — God, I'm so sorry — because it stopped my life. I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor's office. I can't walk from the car to the room. I'm still in this. Nothing magical happened when she said, 'You don't have MS.' Nothing magical happened."

The Dead to Me actress admitted to struggling with her place in the MS community, especially after building a community of others who were diagnosed with MS.

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"It's weird because I feel like I let everybody down," Applegate shared. "It's this weird feeling because I became this — you and I, the poster children for MS. And everything I was doing. I had a reason. I had a f---ing reason as to why my day sucked every day. And now I don't have a reason and it's very unnerving and it's very confusing for me."

Applegate said she's still in a "state of shock" over the misdiagnosis, calling it a "mindf---."

The Emmy winner added that she took time off from the podcast to "process" the news while also experiencing "some health stuff."

Ultimately, Applegate shared that she views her health journey as, "the same game with a different name."

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The Emmy Award-winning actress' last appearance on the podcast was in March.

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On March 31, Sigler announced that the pair were taking a short hiatus from MeSsy. Shortly after, it was reported that Applegate had been hospitalized due to complications of her multiple sclerosis. The podcast resumed on April 21 and Sigler spent the following months recording episodes solo while featuring special guests.

Applegate was originally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021. The progressive disease damages the protective cover around nerves, called myelin, in the central nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It can cause muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness, memory loss and gastrointestinal issues.

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The actress first addressed reports of her hospitalization via Instagram in April, shortly following the release of her memoir, You With the Sad Eyes. She thanked fans for their support and added, "Health issues are a constant for me, but I'm a strong chick and I'm getting stronger and better every day."

"I'm taking a moment to focus on my health, but I'll be back with more to say soon enough," she said at the time.

In August, a source told PEOPLE that she was home from the hospital and "doing very well."

Read the original article on People

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